The plant, which has been the source of controversy between residents and city officials, was slated for an automatic renewal in early June.
The city has found the plant in noncompliance and says now “they will have to go through the process of approval,” according to a statement from District 7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s office emailed on Monday.
That process includes the permit renewal being subject to a public hearing.
"An automatic renewal for the Austin Batch Plant will not be granted, and they will have to go through the process of approval," it stated. "This process is subject to a public hearing at the City Planning Commission on May 4, 2023."
KERA reached out to the company that operates the Joppe plant for comment Monday after receiving the statement.
The plant was at the center of a heated "community meeting" between city officials, Joppe residents and environmental activists earlier this month.
Alicia Kendrick, who heads the Joppa Environmental Health Project, told city officials at the meeting that she wanted answers for her community and her 2-year-old daughter.
“If she has to sit in ten more years of polluted air, what happens to her?” Kendrick said. “How do her lungs develop versus her white peers in Plano?”
Kendrick's group educates Dallas residents about the health impacts of industrial facilities like the asphalt plant operated by Austin Bridge & Road, which is part of Austin Industries, one of the nation's largest construction companies.
Residents of the southern Dallas community have been fighting for the chance to weigh in on the renewal process. They have consistently been told no.
At the community meeting, Joppa residents were told that a public hearing was a “last resort.”
The meeting began with Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan, the city plan commissioner for District 7, telling the audience that the asphalt permit was going to be “a learning experience” for her — and for all Dallas residents. Wheeler-Reagan was appointed by Bazaldua.
“When you hear ‘automatic renewal’ someone needs to go and object to it,” Wheeler-Reagan said. “Because the record reflects otherwise.”
Wheeler-Reagan said she’s been a commissioner for five months and had no prior knowledge of the issues facing Joppa. She also said multiple times that she was waiting for information or data that shows “some kind of environmental issue” in Joppa.
Environmental activists at the meeting said data is readily available.
The press release from Bazaldua's office on Monday said "his priority is to listen to the residents withing the Joppa community to determine the best path forward for the Batch plant."
"While he is aware of campaigns made from outside agitators, the residents of the community have legitimate concerns about the Plant that must be addressed," the statement continued.
Austin Bridge & Road operates seven asphalt plants in the Dallas-Fort, including the facility in Joppa. The Joppa plant has been in operation since 2009.
Such plants need a "specific-use permit" from the city. In 2013, the plant was granted a 10-year permit renewal.
KERA also contacted Austin Bridge & Road for comment after the community meeting earlier this month. The company responded with a written statement:
“Austin Bridge & Road has operated in South Dallas by providing construction materials to the City of Dallas, Dallas County and TxDOT while partnering with the Joppa community since 2009, as a Dallas-based 100% employee-owned company, we are committed to responsible business operations and serving the communities we operate in.”
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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